Gaochang Temple: Buddha Triad

CHINA, Shandong, Binzhou; Northern Qi to Sui dynasty

This artifact was excavated from the site of Gaochang Temple in 1981. The figure in the center depicts a Buddha standing with hands in abhaya (fearlessness) and varada (wish-granting) mudras. He is surrounded by an arch-shaped aureole, while Bodhisattvas stand on either side. The triad is enclosed within a mandorla that rises to a lotus-shaped finial. Enclosed inside a beaded rim is a broad inner surface over which seven small figures of meditating Buddhas are arranged in a semicircle. The composition is supported by a conical mount, the lower tiers of which are decorated with wave patterns. Out of this grow the stems of the lotuses on which the Bodhisattvas stand, making for a unified and balanced pattern.